It’s that time of year again, where those of us lucky enough to be heading to warmer climes can catch up on the three Rs: rest, recuperation and reading! Here are five of our favourite holiday crime fiction releases we’re planning on downloading and packing for our getaways. Let us know what yours are in the comments below.
Murder In Passy – by Cara Black
This is the 11th novel in Cara Black’s Murder in… series, and her second of 2011. Like the preceding 10, Murder in Passy is another vehicle for Black’s feisty female protagonist, Aimee Leduc, to explore a suburb of Paris.
With a complex plot and multitude of characters, Black’s storytelling is always intriguing, her vivid impressions of Paris’ less-famous areas are excellent, and the pace at which Leduc rights the wrongs of an innocent man while hot on the trail of the Basque separatist group, ETA, is truly thrilling.
The Amsterdam Cops: Collected Stories – Janwillem van de Wetering
This collection of van de Wetering novels is perfect for those whiling away time poolside or under canvas. There’s a lot here to keep you going too – 13 stories in total, featuring the brilliant crime-fighting duo De Gier, a jazz flautist, and Grijpstra, a drummer.
Just like his characters, van de Wetering’s writing is dark, funny, intelligent and deeply absorbing, and there is enough development in these short stories to allow tension building, action and conclusion. Of course you don’t need to be familiar with De Gier and Grijpstra to enjoy the tales, and there is enough variety here to keep you entertained for many rainy days.
The Scarecrow – by Michael Connelly
We always pack at least one blockbuster when heading off on our holidays, and Michael Connelly’s latest currently sits top of our reading list. It deals with the ever-troubled reporter Jack McEvoy, approaching the end of his career and desperate for a Pulitzer nomination. In attempting to achieve this, he unleashes a hornets nest of intrigue, suspense and murder, crossing swords with a serial killer known only as The Poet, who knows more about Jack and his FBI side-kick than the reporter realises.
Like all of Conelly’s writing, The Scarecrow is slick, brilliantly plotted and hugely tense. A real cracker of a holiday read.
Cold Kill – by Neil White
We’re thoroughly enjoying Neil White’s latest release – fifth in the McGanity and Garrett series – and plan on packing it when CFL hits the beaches.
Like his earlier novels, the pairing of Detective Sergeant Laura McGanity and local news reporter Jack Garrett offers up a tense, riddle-driven plot that unravels at an electric pace. The duo is hot on the tail of a killer after two apparently unrelated young women turn up dead. By piecing together the seemingly isolated crimes, McGanity and Garrett soon link the two murders and set off in hot pursuit of the killer the before they strike once more.
The Jackal Man – by Kate Ellis
Kate Ellis’ novel featuring Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson promises all the ingredients necessary for the perfect poolside whodunit, with her hero piecing together murders that draw on Egyptian rituals and dark beliefs.
A teenage girl is left for dead in a Devon country lane by a would-be-murderer described as having the head of a dog. When a further body is found, mummified in a white sheet DS Peterson, with the aid of a visiting archaeologist, links the murders to similar crimes committed over 100 years ago in the town, and with the steaks raised by the killer, the duo combine historical awareness and classic police procedure to hunt down the killer in what promises to be a thrilling read.
For more ideas check out our Recommended list to the right, or check out our Reviews. Let us know in the comments section below.
